Egypt – Sinai November 5-13, 2021
Day 12
I caught the Go-Bus night bus (270LE, 11½ hours) at 11 pm from Alexandria to Sharm El Sheikh. I had arranged a 2-day car rental through Sixt and had foolishly arranged a “Meet and Greet” to pick up the car at the Rixo Seagate hotel. This was a bad choice as the airport was much closer to the bus station. The rental had not been confirmed despite almost 48 hours having elapsed. They were not there so I took a cab to the airport, went to Terminal 1 arrivals, couldn’t enter, went to departures and then arrivals and there was no Sixt office. I googled an office in Terminal 2, went to arrivals, then departures, and found there was no office there either. I looked up the Sixt main website and an office was listed in the Rosetta Mall so took a cab there. As it turns out this downtown office had been closed for 5 years. Luckily a fellow called Avis and after a couple of hours, I finally had a car – US$77/day with full insurance and unlimited mileage. I left Sharm at 4 pm starting my 2-day drive around the Sinai Peninsula trying to see as many NM sites as possible.
Ras Mohammed (22/01/2002). is a national park in Egypt at the southern extreme of the Sinai Peninsula, overlooking the Gulf of Suez on the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east.
History. When the Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt, Ras Muhammad was declared for protection from fishing and other human activities. Some of the fishing methods, such as using dynamite and knives were also impacting on the coral reef and the fish populations. In 1983, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) established the area as a marine reserve for the protection of marine and terrestrial wildlife. The park was also established to protect against urban sprawl from Sharm El Sheikh and other coastal development. The name literally means “Mohammad’s Head”, where “head” in this instance means “headland”. It is said in the area that the name arose because in side view the contour of the cliff looks like the profile of a bearded man’s face, with horizontal hard strata providing the nose and bearded chin.
Geography. The park is situated in the tourist region of the Red Sea Riviera, located 12 km from the city of Sharm El Sheikh. The park spans an area of 480 km2, including 135 km2 of surface land area and 345 km2 area over water. Marsa Bareika is a small bay inlet in Ras Mohammed, and Marsa Ghozlani is a very small inlet located across from the park visitors center.
Ras Mohammad encompasses two islands, Tiran and Sanafir. Tiran Island is located approximately 6 km offshore from the Sinai Peninsula. Underwater caves formed as the result of earthquakes are located in Ras Mohammad.
About 0.9 hectare of mangrove forest covers a 1.16 km shallow channel at the southernmost end of the Ras Mohammad peninsula. Near the mangrove and approximately 150 m inland, there are open cracks in the land, caused by earthquakes. One of the cracks is approximately 40 m in length and 0.20−1.5 m in width. Within the cracks, there are pools of water, some with a depth of over 14 m.
The inland area includes a diversity of desert habitats such as mountains and wadis, gravel and coastal mud plains, and sand dunes. The area also plays a role in bird migration, serving as a place of rest and nourishment.
Climate. Ras Mohammad National Park experiences a very dry climate, with only minimal rainfall during the winter. During the summer, temperatures often exceed 40 °C and low temperatures around 27 °C (81 °F). Temperatures are mild during the winter, with daytime high temperatures averaging around 23 °C and low temperatures 14 °C (56 °F).
Ecology. Coral reef, of the fringing and hermatypic types, exist along the coast close to the shoreline. More than 220 species of coral are found in the Ras Mohammad area, 125 of them soft coral. The coral reefs are located 50 to 100 cm below the sea surface, and they have a width of 30 to 50 m in most places. Though in some spots on the western coast, the coral reef is 8 to 9 km wide. Shark Reef and Yolanda Reef are popular areas of coral reef in the park for divers. Other coral reef sites include South Bereika, Marsa Ghozlani, Old Quay, and Shark Observatory. The wreckage of the SS Thistlegorm, located off the coast of Ras Mohammad, is a popular area for divers.
The area is home to more than 1,000 species of fish, 40 species of starfish, 25 species of sea urchins, more than 100 species of mollusk, and 150 species of crustaceans. Among others, sea turtles, such as the green turtle and the hawksbill turtle appear regularly in Ras Mohammad.
There are acacia trees and dum palms around the wadi mouths and ephermal herbs and grasses.
Rutho Monastery (01/11/1994) (Raitho Monastery). Hours 8-5. El Tor, formerly Raithu, is a small city and the capital of the South Sinai Governorate of Egypt. The name of the city comes from the Arabic term for the mountain where the prophet Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God; this mountain is designated Jabal Al Tor.
At-Tur itself appears to have been founded in the 13th century near the site of the ancient Raythou (medieval Raya). The El Tor strain of cholera was discovered there in 1905. It was a quarantine camp for Muslim pilgrims returning from Hajj (the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca).
Monastery. The Raithu desert is situated around El Tor, between Saint Catherine and the Red Sea. It belongs to the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The “Martyrs of Raithu” were 43 anchorites (early Christian hermits) murdered by bedouins (desert dwellers) during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305CE). Christian monks fleeing persecutions had been present since the 3rd century, and the Raithu monastery (or Rutho) was commissioned in the 6th century by Byzantine emperor Justinian. The latter was proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage site on November 1, 1994, in the Cultural category.
The monastery contains two basilica churches, oil press, well provisions stores, kitchens, rooms of monks, number of ovens for bread and food, and is surrounded by a strong wall with two entrances. In 2021, it was open from 8-5.
Portuguese attack. En route to Suez with the objective to seek and destroy the Ottoman fleet, a Portuguese Armada was sent in 1541 to Red Sea. After several days sailing, the commander Estevão da Gama gives the order to direct a surprise attack. The troops were able to disembark and the defenders came out to the shore but were pushed to the city not managing to close the city doors. As the city fell, the Portuguese were ready to loot, but two Priests came to the Commander, and appeal to him avoiding the destruction.
At 7 pm, I was feeling too tired to drive so pulled over on the highway to a “rest area” and slept.
Day 13
Up at 5 am, I then drove to Suez on a 6-lane divided hyway (with virtually no traffic) averaging over 140km/hour. Google Maps directed me to the ferry over the Suez Canal which no longer exists. I eventually found the North Suez tunnel (20 LE) and crossed the canal – which you never get a good look at (except for some giant container ships seen over walls). The turn south to Suez City was closed and Google Maps directed me to a long, circuitous route into the city that took 2 hours instead of 25 minutes. I drove along a canal, over hundreds of speed bumps, through several poor neighborhoods with her constantly directing me to a highway I couldn’t access. She finally gave up and I eventually found the museum.
Egypt – Northeast (Suez, Ismailia, Port Said, Sharqia) November 6, 2021
Suez Canal. The canal is crossed by a tunnel. The ferry no longer exists. I never actually got a look at the canal proper as walls seem to obscure any clear view. I did see several large container ships.
SUEZ
Suez National Museum. In an unusual building with the second floor in a tower separated by a floor over the bottom first floor. The upper floor had several small exhibits showing the history of Egypt from the Old Kingdom to the 1800s and the early building of the Suez Canal. The bottom was much smaller and was about cemeteries, mummification, and tombs. 80 LE
On attempting to get back to Suez, GM again directed me to the ferry, but I found the tunnel on Google Maps and successfully got to the other side, avoiding that nightmare.
My plan then was to head east on the Newibah road that crosses the Sinai Peninsula. The army said it was too dangerous (many vehicles and minibusses with Egyptians were allowed through) and for my security, I was not allowed to go and had to return to the coastal highway towards Sharm El Sheikh that I had come upon.
I was soon stopped at another checkpoint and waited an endless amount of time to clear that area and get permission to continue south. I followed a foreign tour bus and an armed escort for 32 km and the next checkpoint.
I finally reached the monastery at 4:30 pm after a very long day of driving. This turned out to be fortuitous – if I would have been allowed to take the Newibah Road, I would not have arrived here until long after it was closed.
Saint Catherine Area World Heritage Site.
Saint Catherine’s Monastery, officially Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Katherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai is an Eastern Orthodox monastery located at the mouth of a gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai, near the town of Saint Catherine, Egypt. The monastery is named after Catherine of Alexandria.
The monastery is controlled by the autonomous Church of Sinai, part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002 for its unique importance in the traditions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
The Saint Catherine monastery is located in the shadow of a group of three mountains; Ras Sufsafeh (possibly “Mount Horeb” c.1 km west), Jebel Arrenziyeb, and Jebel Musa, the “Biblical Mount Sinai” (peak c.2 km south).
Built between 548 and 565, the monastery is one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the world. The site contains the world’s oldest continually operating library, founded sometime between 548 and 565, preserves the second largest collection of early codices and manuscripts in the world, outnumbered only by the Vatican Library. It contains Greek, Christian Palestinian Aramaic, Syriac, Georgian, Arabic, Ethiopic/Ge‘ez, Latin, Armenian, Church Slavonic, and Caucasian Albanian[30] manuscripts and books, and very rare Hebrew Language, some Coptic books. The most unique books are the Codex Sinaiticus until 1859, of which recently new folios have come to light, including the Syriac Sinaiticus.
Christian traditions. During Catherine’s imprisonment, more than 200 people came to see her, including Maxentius’ wife, Valeria Maximilla; all converted to Christianity and were subsequently martyred. The furious emperor condemned Catherine to death on a spiked breaking wheel, but, at her touch, it shattered. Maxentius ordered her to be beheaded. Catherine herself ordered the execution to commence. A milk-like substance rather than blood flowed from her neck.
The monastery has become a favorite site of pilgrimage.
History. The oldest record of monastic life at Mount Sinai comes from the travel journal written in Latin by a pilgrim woman named Egeria (Etheria; St Sylvia of Aquitaine) about 381/2–386.
The monastery was built by order of Emperor Justinian I (reigned 527–565), enclosing the Chapel of the Burning Bush (also known as “Saint Helen’s Chapel”) ordered to be built by Empress Consort Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, at the site where Moses is supposed to have seen the burning bush. The living bush on the grounds is purportedly the one seen by Moses. Structurally the monastery’s king post truss is the oldest known surviving roof truss in the world. The site is sacred to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
A mosque was created by converting an existing chapel during the Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171), which was in regular use until the era of the Mamluk Sultanate in the 13th century and is still in use today on special occasions. During the Ottoman Empire, the mosque was in desolate condition; it was restored in the early 20th century.
During the seventh century, the isolated Christian anchorites of the Sinai were eliminated: only the fortified monastery remained. The monastery is still surrounded by the massive fortifications that have preserved it. Until the twentieth century, access was through a door high in the outer walls. From the time of the First Crusade, the presence of Crusaders in the Sinai until 1270 spurred the interest of European Christians and increased the number of intrepid pilgrims who visited the monastery.
Manuscripts and icons. The Codex Sinaiticus, dating from the 4th century, at the time the oldest almost completely preserved manuscript of the Bible. The finding from 1859 left the monastery for Russia, in circumstances that had been long disputed. The Codex was sold by Stalin in 1933 to the British Museum and is now in the British Library, London, where it is on public display. Prior to September 1, 2009, a previously unseen fragment of Codex Sinaiticus was discovered in the monastery’s library, as well as among the New Finds of 1975. On other visits (1855, 1857) Constantin von Tischendorf also amassed there more valuable manuscripts (Greek, Christian Palestinian Aramaic, Georgian, Syriac) and took them with him to St Petersburg and Leipzig, where they are stored today. The Monastery also has a copy of the Ashtiname of Muhammad, in which the Islamic prophet Muhammad is claimed to have bestowed his protection upon the monastery.
Additionally, the monastery houses a copy of Mok’c’evay K’art’lisay, a collection of supplementary books of the Kartlis Cxovreba, dating from the 9th century.
Works of art. The complex houses irreplaceable works of art: mosaics, the best collection of early icons in the world, many in encaustic, as well as liturgical objects, chalices and reliquaries, and church buildings. The large icon collection begins with a few dating to the 5th (possibly) and 6th centuries, which are unique survivals; the monastery having been untouched by Byzantine iconoclasm and never sacked.
The monastery is reached by an 11 km, dead-end road off the main highway. There are multiple checkpoints and bureaucratic issues. Stop and have all your details recorded by a police officer. Pay a government fee of US$10, five for you and five for the car. Park in a lot about a 10-minute walk from the monastery along a cobbled road.
Hours to visit the monastery and the church inside the monastery: 9 – 11:30 am daily except Sunday.
A new visiting time to see the Moses Well, Burning Bush and the museum had been recently added from 5-6 pm.
I arrived at about 4:15 so walked around outside the monastery itself. There is a bookstore, 2 coffee shops, a restaurant, 11 rooms for visitors, several greenhouses, and an orchard with, grape trellises, fruit, and olive trees. Outside, it appears to be a walled fortress with 20 meter high walls.
Enter the monastery proper through a tiny thick metal door to see the well and bush, then go into the museum. It is very well done with a complete display of portable icons dating from the 6th century, many Bibles dating to the 11th century, crosses and other religious paraphernalia. 70 LE
Mountain Chains (12/06/2003). The High Mountain Region, home to the Jabaleya Bedouin, is around the town of St. Katherine. The town itself lies at about 1600 meters from sea level, and many of the surrounding mountains are above 2000 meters, with Mt. Katherine the tallest at 2642 meters. The high ranges continue on towards the coast in the west and south, with some of the most impressive mountains, such as Jebel Umm Shaumar and Jebel Serbal, offering magnificent views on the big sandy floodplain at El Tur city and the Gulf of Suez. The area, little known for most Westerners, is a unique trekkers’ paradise.
Because of its elevation the area receives more precipitation than the rest of the Sinai peninsula and is still relatively wet – it is a desert ecosystem, but there are hundreds of Bedouin orchards and several natural water pools. The area is mostly granite with characteristic smooth red domes and hidden basins, although about 20% is newer volcanic rock, black-colored and covered with broken, loose gravel. The two rock types often combine, with half a mountain belonging to one and the other to the other rock type. The whole region stands above the rest of the peninsula, and from its perimeter you can see down to smaller ranges, plains and at points to the sea. The climate is cooler than the rest of Egypt’s, making possible a unique flora and a wide variety of domesticated fruit species. In winter there might be snow and the temperatures can drop far below zero at higher elevations, although the days are usually still pleasantly warm.
Mount Katharina is the highest mountain in Egypt at 2642 meters, with a small Orthodox church on the summit. According to tradition, this is the place where monks, after a dream, found the missing body of the martyred St.Katherina. Jebel Musa (Mt. Sinai) is right below, and the views of it and the whole high mountain area are stunning. In most winters there is at least a little snow and the temperature can be chilly even on summer nights.
Mount Sinai is a mountain that may possibly be the same as the biblical Mount Sinai, the place where, according to the Bible, Moses received the Ten Commandments.
It is a 2,285-metre (7,497 ft), moderately high mountain near the St Catherine monastery. It is surrounded on all sides by higher peaks in the mountain range of which it is a part. For example, it lies next to Mount Catherine, which, at 2,629 m or 8,625 ft, is the highest peak in Egypt.
Mount Sinai’s rocks were formed during the late stage of the evolution of the Arabian-Nubian Shield. Mount Sinai displays a ring complex that consists of alkaline granites intruded into diverse rock types, including volcanics that are represented by subaerial flows and eruptions and subvolcanic porphyry. Generally, the nature of the exposed rocks in Mount Sinai indicates that they were formed at different depths from one another.
Religious significance. Judaism/Christianity. Immediately north of the mountain is the 6th century Saint Catherine’s Monastery. The summit has a mosque that is still used by Muslims, and a Greek Orthodox chapel, constructed in 1934 on the ruins of a 16th-century church, that is not open to the public. The chapel encloses the rock which is considered to be the source for the biblical Tablets of Stone. At the summit also is “Moses’ cave”, where Moses was said to have waited to receive the Ten Commandments.
Ascent and summit. There are two principal routes to the summit. The longer and shallower route, Siket El Bashait, takes about 2.5 hours on foot, though camels can be used. The steeper, more direct route (Siket Sayidna Musa) is up the 3,750 “steps of penitence” in the ravine behind the monastery. Take a Bedouin guide arranged by a man who lives behind the monastery. 750 LE
There is both a mosque and church on the summit.
Some Tentative WHS (that I didn’t visit as I was not allowed to travel on the Newibah Road that transects the Sinai Peninsula.
Newibah castle (01/11/1994). Nuweiba is a coastal town in the eastern part of Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Located on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba 150 km (90 mi) north of Sharm el Sheikh,
Nuweiba Port was built in 1985 on the Gulf of Aqaba, and serves as a ferry port to travel between Jordan and Egypt.
History: The history of the town goes back to when it was used as a resting and a meeting point for pilgrimage trips from Africa to Mecca and back.
Historically, the area was inhabited by two different Bedouin tribes. Since the Six Day War when Israel captured the area, Nuweiba Town sprung up just 1.5 km (1 mi) south of Tarabeen, under the Israeli name, Neviot. After the departure of the Israelis, the town expanded and Nuweiba Port, some 7 km (4 mi) to the south, was established and developed, with several car ferries now running every day to Aqaba in Jordan by the Arab Bridge Maritime company, and with a small town growing up around itself.
Nuweiba castle (or Newibah castle), built on top of the remains of a still older castle in 1893, has been proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
An important touristic destination that is much cheaper than other resorts in Sinai like Sharm El Sheikh or Taba. The town is also different than any other city in Sinai because of the Bedioun dwellings that are still living in the city giving it a unique atmosphere because of the special habits and lives of the Sinai Bedouins. The lifestyle which a huge number of Egyptians and tourists love to enjoy their time in.
The major activities for tourists and Egyptians in Nuweiba are diving, snorkeling, going on safari trips, or chilling out on the beautiful beaches.
Rent a four by four car to the desert
The An-Nakhl fortress, a stage on the pilgrimage route to Mecca (28/07/2003). The Fortress of an-Nekhel is a Ksar (castle) located in the Nekhel Municipality. It holds a strategic location at the exact center of the peninsula. Excavations at the site have revealed remains dating from Ancient Egypt. It has historically been an important stop and staging ground for Muslim pilgrims undertaking the Hajj or Umra, holy Muslim pilgrimages.
Mamluk era. A fortress was built on the site. A group of Christian pilgrims (including Felix Fabri) in 1483 recorded that there was a great well at an-Nekhel which was called the “Well of the Sultan” because during the pilgrimage season the Sultan employed a man with two camels to draw water all day for the pilgrims. The Frenchmen were on their way to Saint Catherine’s Monastery and avoided the well due to uncertainty of the reception they might receive.
Ottoman era. The existing fortress was built by Sultan Selim in the sixteenth century, following his invasion of Egypt in 1517. “Moorish” soldiers were stationed to protect the pilgrims who came from Egypt, Morocco, Algiers, and Spain.
Mohammed Ali era. Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, who visited the site in the first decade of the 19th century, reported a large building with stone walls and no habitations around it. There was a large reservoir for the pilgrims filled from a brackish well. The garrison consisted of about fifty soldiers and the fort was used as a magazine to provision the Egyptian Army in its expeditions against the Wahabis.
In the nineteenth century, when the route was still used by pilgrims, the road was infested with hyenas, dabba, which fed on the dead camels which had fallen by the wayside. If very hungry, packs were known to have attacked solitary travelers. The residents of an-Nekhel would not leave the village at night for fear of attack, and kept dogs to frighten off the scavengers.
An explorer at the beginning of the 20th century describes it as a square fort on “absolutely barren ground”, built as a place to provide Haj pilgrims with water. It was manned by an officer and ten soldiers; a village around the fort consisted of fifteen to twenty houses inhabited by ex-soldiers and their families. All food was transported from Gaza or Suez, though the villagers cultivated small patches of ground with corn and maize when Wadi el-Arish flooded. This did not occur every year and the Wadi dried up very quickly. Some of the villagers also kept camels. It took the Cairo pilgrims three days to reach an-Nekhel from Suez, and another three days to reach Aqaba.
World War I. Around 1900 the pilgrimage switched its route to one along the shores of the Gulf of Suez, and an-Nekhel went into decline. The fortress was blown up by the Turkish army during the First World War. Two British cavalry columns with three airplanes, commanded by Colonel William Grant, approached an-Nekhel on 17 February 1917, to find that it had been abandoned. This was the last British action in their Sinai campaign against the Turks. T.E. Lawrence writes, in chapter 59 (Seven Pillars of Wisdom), of passing near the fort ruins on his way from the capture of Aqaba in July 1917 to report to the Egyptian British command.
A visitor, around 1930, found three policemen, a corporal, and one villager, and recommended the big reservoir as worth a visit. Traveling by car, the road to an-Nekhel was slow due to water gullies, several inches deep, every two or three hundred yards, reducing the vehicle’s speed to 25 miles per hour.
1956 war. During Israel’s Sinai Campaign, an-Nekhel was captured by the Israeli Army on the evening of 30 October 1956.
1967 war. An-Nekhel fell on 7 June to the IDF’s 14th Armored Brigade, a force belonging to (now General) Ariel Sharon’s 38th Division. In the ensuing battle, the Egyptians lost 60 tanks, over 100 guns and 300 other vehicles. In 1969 Haidar Abdel-Shafi, a lawyer and Palestinian political leader from Gaza was exiled to an-Nekhel for three months, by the Israelis.
El-Gendi Fortress (01/11/1994)
Temple of Serabit Khadem (01/11/1994) (Serabit el Khadim)
North Sinai archaeological Sites Zone (01/11/1994)
Pharaon Island (01/11/1994)
Two citadels in Sinai from the Saladin period (Al-Gundi and Phataoh’s island) (28/07/2003)
Wadi Feiran (01/11/1994)
National Parks
Abu Galum Protected Area covers an area of about 400km², situated on the east coast of South Sinai, right between Dahab and Nuweiba. It protects various coastal and mountain ecosystems that are unique to the Gulf of Aqaba. The coral reef is mostly undisturbed with a high diversity of reef fish, whose richness of its flora and fauna is overwhelming.
The reef at Abu Galum supports an active Beduine artisanal fishery. As in other protected areas you can see them standing in the water (unfortunately also on the reef) and fishing. They supply as well the local restaurants with the fish they get throughout the day. However, the fishery is being regulated (EEAA) just some years ago to reduce the damage done to the delicate coral reef.
Probably, Abu Galum is one of the most beautiful protectorates in Egypt. Its hight mountains, its wadis, fresh water springs, its picturesque sand dunes, coral reef, and gravel alluvial fans, this area hosts about 165 plant species. About 45 of these species can only be seen in Abu Galum and are unique to this area.
To protect Abu Galum as a Natural Resource Area, it is only allowed to drive on marked trails that have been prepared. Beduine guides are available that lead you with camels to the places of interest.
Colored Canyon. One of those best-kept secrets of Egypt, it is located near Nuweiba accessible by private tour. Millions of years ago, the Sinai desert was eventually part of the Red Sea, and the canyon was created by the erosion of water upon sandstone and limestone. The canyon mouth is accessible by car, and its short length (about 700 meters) makes for perfect hiking. As one venture into the canyon, the walls narrow in width to just a few feet in some places.
Nabq Protected Area
Wishwashi Canyon
Zaranik Protectorate
Day 14
I stayed in My Hostel in Dahab for one night and drove the next day to Sharm El Sheik to return my rental car. The Avis rental car guy was very nice and drove my back the 115 km to Dahab for 150 LE, an incredible deal.
SHARM EL SHEIKH
I had arrived at the Sharm El Sheikh bus station and was taxied all over looking for the Sixt rental car I had booked. It is a mass of resorts and tourist attraction spread all over the place. I am glad I decided to stay at Dahab.
Soho Square Dancing Fountain. The Soho resort complex is huge. This is a water fountain with many jets. As it was not running when I was there, I assume that there is a water show.
Sharm El Sheikh Beaches
Abandoned Outdoor Movie Theatre (End of the World Cinema), In the NM Bizzarium series, this is an interesting place to visit and also find. As I was coming from Dahab, Google Maps directed me off the highway well before Sharm El Sheikh. Follow the most prominent track deviating from the route on GM. It gets sandy in a few places but I had no problem in my small car. Eventually, rejoin the GM track. But then the track disappears, so I drove around and couldn’t find the exact route. I drove to the left where there are some Bedouin camps and a small kid ran out to greet me and offered to “guide” me to the cinema. He spoke great English (along with some Russian) and his little brother jumped into the car. Dad asked me to be back in 30 minutes. He directed me to the cinema following some rocky bits and a rougher road.
The kid would not stop asking to drive (even though he was only about 10).
The theatre looks little like the old pictures – none of the seats remain and have collapsed onto the ground. A raised area looks like it held a screen at one time. At the back are 3 small domed buildings that I assume were the “projection facilities”. After some photos, I drove the kids back home and gave him 50 LE for all his help. He didn’t really seem to care about the money as he was only interested in driving!.
I put in the Dancing Fountain and drove to Sharm El Sheikh directly south trying to pick the best of several tracks created by all the ATVers who come out to this area.
Day 14-20
I then stayed at My Hostel for the next 6 nights to go diving and repeat my PADI advanced diver course.
DAHAB (pop 15,000) is a small Egyptian town on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, approximately 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh. Formerly a Bedouin fishing village, Dahab is now considered to be one of Egypt’s most treasured diving destinations. Following the Six-Day War, Sinai was occupied by Israel. The Sinai Peninsula was restored to Egyptian rule under the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty in 1982. Egypt’s former president, Hosni Mubarak helped the arrival of many local and international tourism companies, hotel chains, and the establishment of many other ancillary facilities has since made the town resorts a popular destination with tourists. Dahab is served by Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport. Masbat (within Dahab) is a popular diving destination, and there are many (50+) dive centers located within Dahab. Most of Dahab’s diving spots are shore dives.
Dahab can be divided into three major parts. Masbat, which includes the Bedouin village Asalah, is in the north. South of Masbat is Mashraba, which is more touristic and has considerably more hotels. In the southwest is Medina which includes the Laguna area, famous for its excellent shallow-water windsurfing.
The region of Asalah is quite developed and has many campsites and hostels. Most people who have visited Dahab in the past were backpackers interested in diving and snorkeling in the Red Sea.
Dahab attracts large numbers of tourists. It is world-renowned for its windsurfing. Reliable winds provide superb flat-water conditions inside Dahab’s sand spit. Further away from shore, wavy conditions couple with strong winds to provide formidable conditions for keen windsurfers. However, in recent years, the lagoon inside the sand spit has been overtaken by kitesurfers, with two Russian-owned schools opening right on the beach. SCUBA diving, free-diving, and snorkeling are also popular activities with many reefs immediately adjacent to waterfront hotels. The nearby Blue Hole (nicknamed “The World’s Most Dangerous Diving Site”) and Canyon are internationally famous dive spots. The increasing destruction of coral from reckless divers/dive centres diving is a pressing issue that is causing some worry, sparking the need to regulate dive centers more thoroughly.
Land-based activities include rock climbing, camel riding, horse riding, cycling, mountain biking trips, jeep, and quad bike trips. Mount Sinai is a two-hour drive, with Saint Catherine’s Monastery being a popular tourist destination.
Historically, most visitors to Dahab have been backpackers travelling independently and staying in hostels, motels or guesthouses in the Masbat area. In recent years, the development of hotels in the Medina area has facilitated the arrival of a wider range of tourists, many of whom visit Dahab specifically to partake in surfing, windsurfing, diving, kite surfing, sailing, and other activities.
Natural and tourist attractions. The city has many of the most prominent attractions in Ras Abu Gallum, a nature reserve, and a diving area. It is one of the world’s most famous dive spots. The Kanoun region is one of the best diving areas in Al-Asala, a region where about 75% of the population of the city is divided into three areas (Mubarak City, Zarnouk, Al-Asala), Coral Island, and the remains of a historic fortress built by the Crusaders, Al-Mellil, a road parallel to the coast road, which includes some small hotels, cafeterias and houses, The main neighborhood of the city starts with Al Fanar Street and then Masbat Bay. It includes a wide range of shops, diving clubs, cafes, camps and hotels. It includes a large number of cafeterias and diving centers. It also includes the only impact there is Tel Mashraba. It is located in the old city of Dahab. The area of Wadi Qani, an area that represents the future urban expansion of the city because it includes a wide range of hotels, service and residential complexes, as well as the areas of Lighthouse and the Garden Garden and Oasis. Dahab comprises two gulfs, the Laguna or Ghazala, which is characterized by the city’s only sandy beach and the city’s cistern, as well as resorts along its shores that integrate with the surrounding nature with log-and-palm kiosks for tourists.
Climate. Dahab has a hot desert climate as the rest of Egypt. Weather on summer days is very hot and also quite hot at night. Winter days are warm and nights are mild. Dahab has a very dry climate and rain is rare, even during the winter months. The precipitation peaks in February.
Dahab Tentative WHS (01/11/1994).
Dahab Beaches
Diving. I had 7 dives over 4 days with H2O Divers. I recertified my PADI Advanced Diver (249€) and was certified for Nitrox (235€).
Day 1. Bannerfish Bay – Buoyancy
Lighthouse – Fish ID
Day 2. Canyon – Deep Advantage Dive
Blue Hole – Drift Dive
Day 3. Caves – Nitrox 15l (Ghost pipefish, Blue spotted sting ray, Pufferfish)
Um Sid – Nitrox 15l (Octopus, scorpion fish, Napolean puffer, Moray eel
Day 4. Bannerfish Bay – Navigation
I took a taxi (500 LE) from Dahab to Swarm El Shiekh and flew on Fly Egypt to Cairo.
Go to Cairo to see the rest of my trip to Egypt